Awakenings
by augmentedfourth
Summary: Nial sets out to investigate the destruction of Satera and meets the beautiful younger sister of Laya along the way. Despite their differences, they grow to rely on each other in their search for the truth.
1. Chapter 1

_AN: I've decided to leave my comfort zone and post chapters as I go, rather than waiting for the story to be complete. Eek!_

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><p>Nial grumbled to himself as he trudged through the scorching sands of the Aridian desert. The first eighteen years of his life had been relatively easy and the carefree young prince had faced very few hardships living safely in his home of Landen. Though he did have a bit of a reputation for never taking things seriously, he was popular in his kingdom, and his parents, the much-loved King Rhys and Queen Lena, were confident that he would one day grow into an honorable, efficient ruler.<p>

Technically, it was his mother who was responsible for the sudden changes in his life. Lena's homeland of Satera had been attacked and destroyed and Nial was dispatched to investigate while his parents stayed back to guard Landen. This seemingly simple task had evolved into quite the saga as he traveled through new worlds and met a whole slew of interesting people. Accompanied by the combat cyborgs Mieu and Wren, it didn't take him long to learn that a Layan man named Lune was allegedly responsible for the attacks. One man claimed that Lune had been alive for one thousand years, but Nial chose not to concern himself with biological capabilities, especially as he'd heard that Layans were able to use magic.

The vicious monsters under Lune's control had been said to be emerging from a cave to the south, so the trio continued onward, slaying any beasts that dared to cross their paths. The Orakian prince was a fairly skilled swordsman, though he had never previously sparred in an actual life-or-death situation; still, with Wren and Mieu by his side, none of the monsters proved to be a formidable opponent. They made their way through the cave, only to find that it led to another world quite physically similar to Landen.

The new world was Elysium and as they traveled through the strangely laid out town of Divisia, they stumbled across the imprisoned sister of the very man they were trying to find. The green-haired Layan woman was quite pretty and Nial would have been perfectly happy to chat with her once outside the dungeon, but she quickly took off in an effort to stop her brother's attacks. Why she didn't bring the three of them along to help convince him, Nial would never know, but he shrugged off the brief encounter and continued on his way.

And so, after another cave, an apparition of Lune himself, and the addition of a rebel leader named Ryan to his party, Nial found himself traipsing through the desert in search of something important. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but as both Lune and the Layan rebels were after it, he had been nudged in the direction of yet another world in the hopes of finding something that could help stop the madman's destruction. The swirling winds and barren landscape made it difficult to tell if he was even leading his team in the right direction, but he trusted the monitor he carried with him and continued on.

As the sweat poured down his face and neck, he took a brief moment to wallow in his own self-pity. While he had been more than happy to go seek out who was responsible for destroying his mother's home, he didn't know that his mission would turn out to be so complex. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to confront this Lune, as he seemed to be a rather dangerous man, and, truth be told, he really just wanted to return to the relative safety of Landen.

The town of Hazatak was filled with cyborgs, many of them vaguely resembling Wren. They were directed to a whirlpool to the southeast and Wren was able to locate the point where the water was much deeper than the surrounding area. Nial watched in awe as the metallic cyborg's body transformed into a submersible vessel and floated on top of the water as the others climbed inside. They dove beneath the surface and traveled down until the radiant Aridian sky had all but faded from view.

Just when the prince had thought that they would be lost in the darkness forever, the whirlpool abruptly ended and they emerged onto a small, sandy piece of land. While waiting for Wren to change back into his original form, Nial looked around and examined yet another new place. The mossy green hills and clumps of evergreen trees reminded him so much of of his home and he felt a brief pang of guilt in his chest as he realized how much he would rather be there than in this strange underground world.

The quartet of warriors carefully made their way across a land bridge, their weapons at the ready, but nothing attacked. A stone building, similar to those they had seen scattered throughout their travels, appeared in their view and it seemed as good of a destination as any. Inside the small, dark temple was a group of old men; curiously enough, they did not seem startled by the arrival of the newcomers. They waited expectantly for Nial and his companions to approach and were more than willing to readily dispense all sorts of information.

"Laya entrusted the future to her sister!"

"We have protected Laya for over one thousand years! Cryogenic sleep has kept her alive since the war!"

"This princess is Laya's younger sister. Strangely enough, she is also named Laya!"

"Mystoke, on Frigidia, holds a key to truth. Return to the desert and go southwest with Laya. The portal to Mystoke awaits you there!"

Nial was exhausted and a bit moody from his trek through the endless desert, so only snippets of the men's declarations made their way to his ears. He, of course, had heard of the legendary Laya and knew that she had been a rival of his own ancestor, Orakio. The idea of cryogenic sleep seemed vaguely interesting, but he was far more concerned by the mention of a place called Frigidia, as it sounded even more dismal than Aridia. Passing by the elderly fonts of knowledge, he approached a glowing blue chamber in the rear of the building.

The air around him seemed to shimmer and the room distorted slightly before a young woman stepped out to greet them. Her lustrous golden hair spilled down to her waist and her body was draped in exquisite red fabric that was a perfect match to the singular jewel that shone from the center of her forehead. The space from which she'd emerged bathed her in a soft cerulean glow and Nial felt his pulse start racing as she turned her deep brown eyes upon him. The giggling girls back in Landen had been cute enough to frequently distract the prince from his more somber duties, but not one of them could ever hope to compare to the vision before him. She was an angel, a goddess, an ethereal beauty from an entirely different plane of existence.

Beside him, Mieu audibly cleared her throat; Nial realized that his mouth was wide open and he quickly snapped it shut. "I was very young when Laya fought Orakio," spoke the woman as she clutched a bow with both hands. "She left with a knight who wore a black sword. I must know the truth. Please take me along!" she pleaded.

It would have taken very little convincing for the Orakian prince to invite her to join his party, but the urgency in her melodic voice only made him want to help her more. She wobbled a little when she took several more steps towards them, so he offered her his arm, which she gratefully accepted. "Your guards suggested we travel to Mystoke in Frigidia," he told her. "Do you know anything about it?"

The corners of her ruby-red mouth turned downwards. "I think I've been there. I don't know, it was all so long ago..." She allowed Nial to escort her out of the temple and once outside, her dark eyes darted about nervously. "Everything seems so different," she whispered. "Or maybe it's exactly the same. Maybe I'm different." Her grip on his arm tightened slightly. "I thought I would remember everything when the time came, I couldn't wait to see my world again, but little by little, my memories must have shifted. Or maybe I was just foolish for thinking time would have stood still for me..."

A millennium was an unfathomable amount of time for the teenaged prince and he couldn't even begin to comprehend what his new companion was experiencing. The best he could do was pat her hand in what he hoped was a comforting gesture and lead her towards the bottom of the whirlpool. Wren transformed back into the underwater vehicle and within moments, they were heading back towards the surface of Aridia.

Upon stepping out onto the hot sand, Laya shrieked in pain and buried her face in Nial's chest, trying to shield her eyes from the blindingly bright Aridian skies. Still unsure of how to appropriately interact with the ancient princess, he tentatively put his arms around her shoulders, hoping he could somehow further protect her. Eventually, he felt her body relax and she cautiously turned her head to the side, peeking out at the vast desert around her from the relative safety of Nial's grasp.

"We don't have to head for Mystoke right away, we can rest for the night in Hazatak, if you'd like," he suggested to her.

"I've been resting for long enough, I'll be fine." As the words shot out of her mouth, her hand immediately flew up to her lips. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you like that! This isn't like me at all, you were just being nice and - "

"Hey, don't worry about it." Realizing that she was still in his arms, he released her and took an awkward step backwards so he could see her face better. "You've had a busy day, to say the least."

She managed a small smile. "I'll be okay, I promise. Let's go to Mystoke."

The group of five traveled southwest, though Nial still thought that all the sand looked alike. It took Laya some time to become re-accustomed to fighting battles, but it didn't take terribly long for her arrows to start finding their marks more consistently. She was able to keep up with the others and her ability to cast healing techniques both benefited her fellow fighters and boosted her confidence. By the time they had arrived at the passageway they assumed would lead them to Frigidia, the sky had grown dark and Mieu suggested they stop for the night and set up a makeshift camp before continuing onwards.

The mountains surrounding the cave provided a natural barrier to both the biomonsters and the fierce winds that never seemed to stop in this world, not even at night. The two cyborgs faced in opposite directions and prepared to stand guard until the morning, as it was not necessary for the combat machines to sleep. Ryan stretched out not far from the mouth of the cave and, using his own arm as a pillow, fell asleep in a matter of moments. Though Nial was exhausted, seeing Laya wide awake and staring out over the infinite desert encouraged him to stay awake for just a little longer.

He watched her pick up a handful of sand and let it slowly trickle through her graceful fingers; she was able to repeat the process several times before she noticed him studying her actions. "It's been so long since I've touched...well, practically anything, really," she explained. "You must think I'm crazy."

"Not at all!" he said quickly. "I can't imagine what it must have been like to be away from everyone and everything for so long. I've only been away from my home for a few months and it's been hard on me." He frowned. "And I feel completely stupid for saying that to you, after all you've been through."

"Oh, don't say that." She tilted her head to the side, sending her waves of faintly illuminated hair down into her lap. "It doesn't matter if it's days or decades, it's okay to miss the ones you love, the things that are familiar to you," she said as she started playing with the ends of the silky strands.

Nial rolled onto his back and looked up at the twin moons that filled the black sky. "I just feel a bit ridiculous for confessing to you that this is the first time in eighteen years that I've been away from Landen and Satera for an extended length of time."

"But you're a prince! Surely you had all sorts of responsibilities that kept you busy at home."

He snorted. "Not really."

Laya leaned over until her face came into his view. "Either way, you've been very kind chivalrous towards me all day, so you must be doing something right in Landen. I am very appreciative."

"I don't think I've done anything special. Anyone else would have done the same."

She shrugged her shoulders as her hands moved on to fiddling with the hem of her dress. "Maybe. Maybe not. But I'm glad that the first person I met after waking up was someone as nice as you." She followed his gaze up to the two orbs that were directly above them. "And since you were so worried about me earlier today, now it's my turn to worry about you – you should try to get some sleep!"

He yawned in agreement. "And what about you?"

Laya looked back out over the dark, sandy landscape. "I doubt I could sleep even if I tried. For the first time in ages, I'm awake, I'm _alive_. I can feel things, I can smell things...I can even taste the fresh air." Even in the dim moonlight, Nial could tell she was blushing slightly. "I'll try not to keep you awake any longer."

"I don't mind." He craned his neck so he could see her better. "Though I'd love to stay up talking to you, you're probably right about getting some rest. Besides, I'm sure Mieu wouldn't mind the company if you'll be awake anyway."

"Thanks for the suggestion." She reached out and gently brushed his chestnut hair away from his eyes and let her fingers trail halfway down his cheek before snapping her hand back, realizing what she had done. "I'm sorry," she whispered as her face reddened further. "I didn't mean to - "

"It's okay, you don't need to apologize." He maintained his friendly smile, though he was fighting to stay awake.

The golden-haired princess looked relieved. "Sleep well, Prince Nial."

"You don't have to bother with the formalities, just 'Nial' is fine."

"Okay." She beamed down at him. ""Good night, Nial."

"Good night." While Laya stood up to join Mieu several yards away, the drowsy prince curled up on the sand and closed his eyes. He had previously thought that he would drift off to sleep fairly easily, but the memory of his new companion's light touch upon his face and the thoughts of the journey that had led him to her consumed his mind, refusing to let him immediately surrender to the night.


	2. Chapter 2

As much as Nial had hated the endless desert of Aridia, he would have gladly traded it for the snowy plains and freezing temperatures of Frigidia. Mieu had suggested backtracking and procuring better supplies in Hazatak or even Divisia, but as they had already come so far, the prince insisted they press on. Though he had no idea what awaited them in Mystoke, he knew it had to be important to both him and Laya, and he was determined to get there as quickly as possible.

Picking their way through the icy fields and snow-covered mountains was more strenuous than they had anticipated, and the spontaneous monster attacks didn't help matters any. Gritting his teeth against the blustering wind, Nial led his team onward, following the blurry map that had appeared on his monitor. They traveled for hours, stopping to rest only when absolutely necessary, but there was still no sign of Mystoke by the time the sky started to dim to a murky gray.

"Continuing on through the night would be dangerous," Mieu pointed out. "We need to find a safe place to stay until it's light out again."

"There should be an inlet in those mountains over there," Laya said softly, gesturing to the rocky hills on a short peninsula that jutted out into Frigidia's lake. The others simultaneously turned to look at her in surprise. "I think so," she said, looking down as her cheeks grew flushed. "Maybe there isn't, I don't know..."

"It's as good of a plan as any," Nial quickly interjected. "Let's head in that direction anyway, we'd be easy targets if we stayed out in the open and maybe we can escape some of this damned wind."

The princess' distant memories had not failed her and the group was able to find a small space in the jagged rocks that would offer them protection for the night. Wren was able to build a fire, assisted by his Foi technique, and while no one could say they were truly comfortable, it was the best they could hope for under such circumstances. Nial removed his chestplate and sat on it in an effort to avoid direct contact with the tightly-packed snow, and Laya and Ryan followed his lead, removing the various armors they were wearing.

"Do you remember this place?" Nial gently asked Laya once they had settled down.

"I must have been here before, how else would I have known?" Pulling her knees to her chest, she looked around the small opening in which they sat. "Everything's still a little fuzzy, though. Logically, I know that I must have traveled through these lands when I was much younger. My sister must have been with me...but I'm not sure. I think she was..." She rested her chin on her knees and stared into the flickering fire.

He watched her rub her hands against the thin fabric covering her arms as her body trembled from what he assumed to be a combination of the cold and the effort to reach back and revisit flashbacks of events that had taken place centuries ago. If he wanted, he could instantly visualize the verdant landscape of Landen, almost as if he had taken a snapshot before he left; the idea of those images slipping away from him was unsettling and he once again felt sympathy for the poor princess. The urge to comfort her was still strong within him and he tentatively reached out to lightly place a hand on her shoulder.

The dancing flames reflected in her eyes as she turned her head towards him. "I'm okay," she said, trying to smile for his benefit.

"You're shaking."

"We really didn't plan well for this expedition, I suppose we were rather foolish," she admitted as she inched closer to the fire. "But I'll be fine."

"I wish I could help," he said. "Not just with the weather, but...you know."

"I'm okay. Really." She put her hand on top of his and though she had tried to sound convincing, her quivering hand revealed her insincerity.

"Your skin is ice cold!" The concerned prince took her hands in both of his and began rubbing vigorously. He looked at their small pile of belongings, hoping to find anything else that could help provide extra warmth, but his search produced no results. An attempt to remove his cloak from his own shoulders were met with protests about his own well-being. "Come here," he suggested, tugging on her wrist.

Laya allowed herself to be gracelessly plopped into the space between his knees and leaned back into his body. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, simultaneously feeling pleased at being able to protect her from the harsh temperatures and awkward about the entire situation, from their lack of proper planning to their newfound physical closeness. Her fine hair was close enough to tickle his nose as he nestled his cheek against her head, for lack of a better place to put it. "We'll get to Mystoke tomorrow," he promised her.

"I know."

"I hope we find what we're looking for."

"Me too." Her voice was barely audible.

Nial paused as he carefully considered his next words. "Regardless of what happens tomorrow, I'm glad you're here with us. To be honest, I wasn't sure about all this traveling so far from home and investigating the attacks on Satera, you know, in hopes that other towns can be spared a similar fate. But then I met you and I heard about everything you've been through and you've started to make me see things differently. So...uh...I guess I just wanted to thank you for that."

Despite the cold temperature, he felt a flush rise to his cheeks as a result of the sudden outpouring of his feelings, but the only response was Laya's soft, rhythmic breathing. Though sitting up straight on his armor was not the most comfortable position he'd ever been in, he didn't want to disturb the weary princess. His own fatigue soon began to set in and he slowly leaned his head down to gently rest it on her shoulder.

Another day of traveling brought them to the town of Mystoke by nightfall. The isolated kingdom seemed to be inhabited by women only and, much like the men who had guarded Laya beneath Aridia, they seemed to be expecting the five visitors, the golden-haired princess in particular. Nial and his team were directed towards the "Castle of Silence", but before they could enter, they were stopped by two more women.

"Use the Laya Pendant to hear Laya's final words," one instructed. The younger Laya grew pale at the mention of her sister and Nial instinctively reached for her hand.

"You will be tested within the castle gates," another one warned.

Mieu, noticing the fatigue of the non-cyborg members of the party, stepped in to address her master. "I know you two are impatient to see what lies within the castle, but if it's going to be dangerous, we're in no position to proceed. I suggest we rest for the night at the inn we passed and we can set out first thing in the morning."

No one could offer a valid counter-argument, so they took her advice and trudged back towards the inn. The cheery pink-haired woman behind the desk ushered them to a group of small tables and promised to return as quickly as possible with a freshly-cooked meal. Though they were tired from battling their way through the monster-infested ice and snow, the offer of hot food was too good to pass up and they forced themselves to stay awake for a little longer.

Nial could see that Laya was still a bit rattled from the mention of her sister's parting words, so he slid his hand across the table to give hers another squeeze. "Whatever happens tomorrow, whatever we face in the castle...things will work out."

"I know," she sighed. "I was just surprised to hear that my sister apparently left something behind, something for me to have one day, assuming I woke up." Her lip began to tremble just slightly and her impossibly dark eyes began to glisten. "I miss her. Or what I remember of her, anyway."

The sympathetic prince scooted his chair closer to hers without releasing his grip on her hand. "Tell me about her?" he softly suggested.

"I was so young..." she started. "She was quite a bit older than me, I think. She must have been. She was smart and beautiful and charismatic and everybody loved her. I wanted nothing more than to grow up to be just like her." She closed her eyes as if she were trying to recall scenes from centuries ago. "She was an accomplished fighter, she could hit anything with an arrow, no matter how small the target or how far away it was. I don't think she fought in the war that much, though. I think she just organized the troops and gave commands. I'm not really sure."

Nial had naturally learned about the Devastation War as he was growing up, but he had always regarded it as a rather dull bit of history. Though the Orakians and Layans still weren't completely at peace with each other, the conflict had never really affected his everyday life before Satera was destroyed. Hearing a first-hand account of it, however, gave it new meaning in his eyes and he listened intently to her every word.

"She came home to me one day...at least I think it was home. I don't even remember where home was. There was a man with her, off in the distance, I didn't pay much attention to him." Bowls of some sort of thick stew were set down in front of them, but they went ignored for the time being. "She told me that she had to leave, that she didn't know when she'd be back. And that I needed to be kept safe in case anything happened to her. If everything went well, she said, she'd come wake me up as soon as possible."

Nial didn't want to interrupt her, but he also didn't want their food to get cold, so he gently nudged her bowl towards her. She picked up the accompanying utensils and ate a few bites before continuing. "She hugged me good-bye and left with the man. I was taken beneath Aridia and led to the cryogenic chamber. That's the last thing I remember."

"That's a lot for someone to deal with, regardless of age." He looked at her over a spoonful of steaming meat and vegetables. "How old were you when she left?" he asked.

Laya shrugged her shoulders. "I don't recall. The cryogenic chamber vastly slowed down the aging process, of course. I don't even know how old I'm supposed to be now, biologically." She examined the appearance of her dining companion. "I guess I'm supposed to be around your age, give or take a few years."

"Well, you don't look a day over five hundred to me," he tried to joke.

He'd managed to elicit a laugh from the melancholy beauty. "Gee, thanks," she giggled. "You're too kind."

"Hey, I try." Having lightened the mood slightly, he continued eating his meal while Laya asked him questions about his own childhood in Landen. Though he felt that his own stories paled in comparison with Laya's experiences, she was an attentive listener who seemed to enjoy his recollections of the mischievous fun he'd had growing up. She smiled and laughed in all the right places and Nial found himself striving to bring the joy back into her eyes as often as possible.

Once they had finished their dinner, the courteous prince escorted his fair princess up to the second floor of the inn. He led her to the door of the room that had been set aside for her and wished her pleasant dreams. They lingered in the doorway for an extra moment, awkwardly and expectantly, until Nial quickly ducked his head down and brushed his lips against hers. When he pulled away, he saw a spot of pink appear on her cheeks, though she didn't look displeased, and he sheepishly excused himself from her presence.

Navigating the labyrinth of Mystoke Castle was as challenging as the women had warned and the enemies within were the most difficult they had faced on their entire journey. Dimly-lit underground corridors, dead ends, and various hedge mazes all helped to impede their progress, but they finally emerged in the central room of the enclosed grounds. The small chamber was dark and musty and Nial surmised that no one had been inside for decades based on the thick layer of grayish dust that covered everything he saw. Aside from the ancient throne that sat abandoned in the back of the room, there was little else to be found.

Wren was the first to notice the small chest hidden away in a corner. Laya approached it carefully and knelt down in front of it. Hesitating just slightly, she lifted the unlocked lid and pulled out a golden necklace. Dangling from the chain was a spherical pendant and when she wrapped her hand around it to examine it more closely, it began to glow within her palm.

Every member of the group was astonished when a voice rang out for all to hear. "Sister, it is time for you to know the truth." All the color drained from Laya's face as she froze in place, listening to the gentle tones that had previously been all but the faintest of memories. "Though Orakio and I have fought for many years, we finally realize that we have been deceived. An evil force from times beyond legend is using us to satisfy its desire for pain and suffering. We are joining forces to fight this ancient evil." Nial raised an eyebrow at the last statement, as it contradicted everything he had ever been taught about his ancestor and his foe. "In case we never return, I leave you the pendant; you will hear this when you are ready. Goodbye!"

As Laya stood up, the confused prince prepared to console her again, but when his eyes met hers, he saw a newfound determination in their near-black depths. "Let's go," she simply stated.

Nial wasn't sure how to respond. "Are you...I mean...is everything okay?"

"Yes. I need to finish what my sister started. What she and Orakio set out to do. Let's get out of here."

"Whatever you say!" He flashed her a grin.

Yet again, their plans were interrupted by the limited number of daylight hours available to them, and Mieu ushered them back to the inn. Laya was outwardly restless and once they had finished eating dinner, she grabbed Nial by the hand and led him back outside. They wandered through the drab, chilly streets of Mystoke for several silent minutes before she stopped and faced him.

"I knew from the first moment I saw you that you were an Orakian," she bluntly started. "And even through my fractured memories, I knew that you were supposed to be the enemy, that I was supposed to fight against you." She stared up into his eyes, her face illuminated by the pale moonlight that reflected off the icy snowbanks that lined the stone paths. "But you instantly reached out to me and I saw that you held no grudge against me, and I could see in you that you didn't have the capacity to hate. You showed me that perhaps enough time had passed that the ancient wars were meaningless now, and my sister's revelation only helped convince me I was right."

He was moved by both her intuition and her kind words, but he wasn't sure if he believed all of it. "But there's still so much fighting going on. Lune is still attacking the Orakians and I'm sure he's not alone."

She stepped closer to him, close enough that he could feel the lower layers of her dress brushing up against his shins. "We're going to stop it," she said, reaching up to pull his head closer to hers. "Together."

He could feel her last word more than he could hear it as she pressed her lips against his. The cold winds swirled around them as he slid his arms around her waist and held her against him, touching her, tasting her, embracing every moment with her. From the day he had left the safety and comfort of Landen, he had questioned his purpose in setting out to avenge Satera's destruction and he hadn't wanted to admit his own anxieties and fears, but the woman in front of him had nearly erased all his insecurities and negativity. As he kissed her, he knew that he had faith in her beliefs that they would emerge triumphant, as long as she remained by his side.


	3. Chapter 3

The journey back to the northern part of Frigidia was less strenuous than their initial voyage, as the team was properly equipped with the necessary supplies and clothing. The endless miles of walking combined with the frequent enemy attacks made it difficult for Nial to sneak longing looks and stolen kisses from his blonde fellow fighter, but her reciprocated affections had bolstered his confidence and he was determined to get them to their destination as quickly as possible. The women of Mystoke had directed them to Aerone, a small village to the south of Divisia, and the cave that supposedly led back to Elysium was not far from the passageway that had brought them to the world of ice.

Several yards away from the rocky opening was a structure similar to the one in which Laya had been sleeping beneath Aridia. Before he could lead the others to the cave, Nial saw her staring at the snow-covered temple with an odd look in her eyes. She was fiddling with her sister's pendant, which now hung around her neck, and he almost didn't want to disturb her thoughts, as she seemed so intently focused on it.

However, the day wasn't getting any longer and the temperature wasn't getting any warmer. "...Laya?" he gently asked.

"There's another way."

"What?"

"There's a faster way than traveling through the mountains. I remember now!"

Nial vaguely recalled one of the women in Mystoke mentioning something about the doors of Laya's palace opening, but he hadn't really known what she meant, so he had filed that bit of information away for a later time. Side by side, they approached the small building and entered. In the back of the single room was a blue panel nearly identical to the one that had been in Laya's chamber. Signaling for the rest of them to follow her, the princess stepped into the glowing cerulean aura that surrounded the recessed square.

The world suddenly went black and Nial felt like he was falling, plummeting to a certain doom. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak, and he briefly wondered what sort of hell he had stumbled into. Before he could let his imagination come up with all sorts of gruesome possibilities, he abruptly found himself back on his feet, seemingly in the same place where he'd started.

Startled, his eyes darted around the stone enclosure, searching for signs that he wasn't hallucinating. "What the...what just happened?"

Laya beamed at him. "We took a shortcut!"

"But we didn't go anywhere!"

"Don't be silly!" she laughed, giving his shoulder a friendly squeeze as she smiled up at him, her dark eyes sparkling. "Haven't you noticed that it's not that cold in here?"

He realized she was right. "So where are we?"

"Back in Elysium, where we were originally headed, of course. Let's go!"

Sure enough, when they emerged from the temple, they were greeted by the rolling green hills and majestic mountains of the pleasantly sunny world. Their location, though, was unfamiliar to Nial, as they seemed to be in a place that he hadn't been to before. A few hours of traveling brought them to a bridge that led them directly to their destination, the small village of Aerone.

The purple moon of Dahlia was starting to appear in the darkening sky as the natives of the town informed Nial that the satellite was home to the man he had been seeking. They directed him to a shuttle that would lead him to Dahlia and plans were made to leave first thing in the morning. Though he didn't want to admit it, Nial was growing more and more anxious about the upcoming confrontation with each passing moment.

Laya saw right through his casual demeanor. "It's okay, I'm nervous, too," she whispered to him after the others had retired for the evening, Ryan to his upstairs room at the inn and Wren and Mieu to wherever they spent their nights.

"Somehow, I don't think Lune is the type to want to sit down and have a polite conversation and listen to reason."

"No, probably not," she said, shaking her head. "I never met him, but Laya spoke of him often. She trusted him almost more than anyone else and frequently praised his combat skills." She frowned. "That's not very helpful, is it..."

"Not really."

"Maybe he's gotten a little rusty in the past thousand years?" she offered.

"You bounced right back," he pointed out. "And he probably has an army waiting for us."

"Well, we have Mieu and Wren and Ryan." She took his hands in hers. "And each other," she tried to reassure him.

He lifted her hands to his lips and kissed them. "I hope you're right."

As always, Nial politely escorted the fair princess to the door of her room at the inn. "We're going to be okay tomorrow," she stated firmly, staring up directly into his eyes.

"You really think so?"

"I do," she said as she slipped her hands into his again. "I have faith in you. I know you're going to lead us to victory."

He could see by the way she looked at him that she meant every word and while he wanted to be comforted by her, he now felt even more pressure not to let her down. Though he had planned to make their customary good-night kiss brief in light of the next day's planned activities, her grip on him tightened and he knew that she wasn't ready to part ways just yet. Without letting go of him, she nudged the door open with her hip and pulled him inside.

There was a sense of urgency as each of them strove to cling to anything that would save them from thinking about what possibly awaited them on Dahlia. Despite his efforts to clear his head of all doubts and negativity, Nial couldn't help but think of everything he had to lose as he buried his hands in Laya's waist-length hair, letting the golden strands wind through his fingers as he kept her as close to him as physically possible. He could lose the battle, he could lose his honor, he could lose his life...but out of all the outcomes that were playing through his mind, the one that sent a chill down his spine was the thought of losing _her_.

Fear drove him to wrap his arms around her as tightly as he could, pulling her body up against his, and he found it impossible to remove his mouth from hers. Her hands were moving across his chest, initially gliding smoothly across the woven fabric of his shirt. When she balled up the sides of his collar in her fists and returned the intensity of his impassioned kiss, he fervently hoped that she felt the same way about him, that she needed him just as much. Gone were the playful looks, the incidental touches, the coy kisses; on this night, they clutched at and breathed with each other as if their lives depended on it.

Time was escaping them, escaping both of them, the teenaged prince and the ancient princess. For the first time in his life, Nial was forced to come face to face with the fact that he didn't know what his future held, and he desperately wanted to spend every possible moment with the woman in his arms in case their number of moments abruptly ran out. He ran a hand up her back and around to cup her cheek before trailing down the long line of her neck, trying to commit the feel of her flawless skin to his memory forever. Her heart was beating rapidly beneath his fingertips, nearly in sync with his own, and he wanted nothing more than to touch her, to explore her, to know every inch of her before their time ran out.

Unfortunately, he knew he couldn't. Regardless of what they would face in mere hours, he had still been raised to be the respectable prince of Landen and she was...so much more. It was nearly painful, but he managed to tear himself away from her inquiring lips and tried to catch his breath.

"I...I should go," he murmured softly into her hair.

"I know." Her voice was muffled against his chest.

"Even though I don't want to..." He felt her nod her head.

They managed to disentangle themselves from each other and stood a safe distance apart, staring at each other in the small moonlit room. "Try to get some sleep," she sympathetically suggested. It was now his turn to nod. "Everything will work out."

"I trust you." He allowed his eyes to linger for one more moment on the breathtakingly beautiful princess before forcing himself to leave. "Good night, Laya."

The outskirts of Aerone concealed an entrance to an underground chamber, in which they found a small spaceship already prepared for takeoff. Once they had boarded, the shuttle rapidly shot down a passage into the murky darkness of outer space. Nial looked out the window to get a good look at the home he was leaving behind and was shocked by what he saw.

"That's what our world really looks like?" he exclaimed. "It's a spaceship!" From where he was sitting, he could see the various worlds of the Alisa III, each encased in its own rounded dome. The yellow sands of Aridia, the colorless ice of Frigidia, and the reassuring greenery of his beloved Landen were all neatly displayed before him and suddenly, everything began to make more sense to him. The cold, sterile passageways between the different lands, the way the rounded landscape of his world just seemed to just _stop_...though he was amazed, he wasn't particularly surprised. "But who built it?" he murmured.

Laya was following his gaze out the window, but she didn't answer him. He turned to face her and saw the familiar look in her eyes, the one that showed her trying to determine whether or not this was new information to her. Did she remember that she lived on a spaceship? Was she even born on the spaceship or did she board it from someplace else? Where did the ship come from? Where were they going?

There was no time for Nial to voice his questions before the shuttle touched down on the purple satellite. They emerged in a rather foreboding stone fortress, with no sign of the man they had come to confront. As they wound their way through unwelcoming corridors and steep staircases, the attacks from Lune's hordes of monsters were nearly constant. A spacious throne room offered them a fantastic view of a starry expanse of pitch-black sky, but there was no time to appreciate it, as Wren had located a narrow set of stairs descending beneath the floor.

The glass floor of the dungeon was treacherous to navigate and though he didn't want to show it, Nial was terrified of losing his footing and tumbling into the infinite pits below. They carefully picked their way around the damaged tiles, making sure to avoid the shards of broken glass, and continued to fend off enemy attacks. After rounding a corner, they caught a glimpse of a tall, lime-haired man; though he was lurking in the shadows, he seemed prepared for their arrival.

"You Orakians have invaded my domain!" Lune accused as they approached, apparently feeling that formal introductions were unnecessary. "Orakio banished us here almost one thousand years ago. Cryogenics has kept me alive for centuries, waiting for revenge." A cruel smile crept across his face as he produced a long, curved blade, tightly gripped in his right fist. "Now my revenge is at hand!"

The Orakian prince barely had time to duck the slicer that was hurled in his direction as more creatures appeared to defend their master. Flanked by three sentient purple flames and three gelatinous blobs with surprising agility, Lune expertly caught his weapon as it returned to him and prepared for another attack. Now fully ready for battle, the two cyborgs concentrated on taking out the lesser enemies as the others focused on the former general himself.

Though it was fairly easy to dispose of the monsters, taking on the legendary warrior was entirely different. The experienced soldier was incomparably stronger than anything they had ever faced and their attacks barely seemed to affect him at first. Though Nial's swordsmanship had vastly improved since he initially set out from Landen, he found it exceedingly difficult to land an effective blow on the man responsible for the downfall of Satera. Had it not been for the support of the rest of his team and the healing warmth of Laya's techniques, he would have been forced to admit defeat, but they battled on for what seemed like hours.

Though Lune, by all accounts, should have had the upper hand, in the end he was simply outnumbered. Rather than relying on pure strength or force, the strangely-assembled group from the Alisa III was simply relentless in their attacks and having to be in a constant defensive state was starting to take its toll on him. As he shielded himself from the nimble slashes of Mieu's twin claws, he was caught off balance, and Nial saw an opening.

Rather than risking his foe being able to recover as he prepared to swing his sword, the determined prince stepped forward and quickly swung his foot out. His heavy boot smashed into Lune's leg, just below the kneecap, and the esteemed former general toppled to the ground. Mieu kicked the slicer out of his hand, leaving him unarmed, and the others all raised their weapons to aim at his fallen body.

"I'm surprised that you just don't kill me," Lune groaned when no further attacks came. He rolled onto his back and looked up at the bow-wielding princess who was standing in front of him, her arrow aimed directly at his chest. What little light there was reflected in both her dark eyes and the metallic necklace that dangled against her chest and the defeated man's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Laya's Pendant..." he breathed. "You must be Laya's little sister!"

Her eyes flicked up to meet Nial's, but neither one of them lowered their weapons just yet. "I have no wish to fight you," Lune continued. "The war is at an end. I'll recall my armies," he conceded.

Nial raised an eyebrow, asking his trusted companion the silent question, and she nodded. He sheathed his sword and graciously extended a hand to help the wounded commander to his feet. Though he wanted nothing more than to pull Laya into his arms for a celebratory embrace, he knew it was neither the time or the place, so he settled for giving her a warm look of contentment. She had been right all along. They had won.


	4. Epilogue

Nial paced anxiously around the central room of Dahlia's palace, his boots echoing on the transparent tiles that were the only thing separating him from the endless desolation of space. Lune had opened his home to the five warriors and had invited them to stay on the eerily beautiful moon for as long as they wanted before returning to the Alisa III. Now that he wished them no harm, Laya was eager to talk to him and learn as much as she could about the sister who had almost slipped her memory and Nial politely ducked out of the conversation, leaving the two of them alone.

Now that he had accomplished all he had set out to do, the prince was unsure of what his next step would be. Though he had initially longed to return to Landen as soon as possible, he wasn't sure if there was more out there for him now that he had seen so much more of their world and learned so much. Experience had brought him wisdom, confidence, and the knowledge that he was a different person from when he had first left home.

It was mostly due to her, he would freely admit it. Laya had been an inspiration to him throughout and had driven him to be the man everyone had always wanted him to be and for that, he would be eternally grateful. She had awakened so much in him and though they had managed to stop the war and restore peace, he was still lacking a sense of resolution.

She had assured him that together, they would be unstoppable, and she had been correct. Though the danger had passed, he still wanted to be with her and whatever was next in store for him, he wanted her to be a part of it. From the moment he had first laid eyes upon her, he had felt drawn to her, and his feelings had only intensified with each passing day. If it wasn't love, it was pretty damn close, and he knew he needed to tell her.

His nervous pacing continued until Laya finally emerged from her discussion with Lune. He stopped where he was in the middle of the room and waited for her to approach him, taking in the smile that had appeared on her face and hoping that it was at least partly for him. She stopped about a foot away from him and while he could have spent the rest of the day losing himself in the warm depths of her shimmering eyes, he willed himself to start speaking.

"Was Lune able to give you any more information?" he inquired.

"Oh yes. It was wonderful to be able to speak with someone who knew Laya so well, and he spoke so highly of her." Though her smile didn't completely disappear, it took on more of a melancholy quality. "He misses her, too. But we know she's always with us. We'll be okay."

"Good, I'm glad." He scratched his head and shifted his weight uncomfortably, trying to choose his words. "I just want to see you happy, it means a lot to me."

"That's very sweet of you." She reached out to stroke his arm.

"You're really the most amazing person I've ever met, I'm so lucky to know you. And now that we did what we needed to do, I just want to spend even more time with you." All his carefully-planned speeches were getting jumbled in his head and he wasn't sure if the words that were rapidly spilling forth from his mouth were even making sense any more, but it was already too late to turn back. "Come back to Landen with me. Or we can go to Mystoke, or anywhere else you want." He paused to tenderly tuck a lock of hair that had fallen out of place back behind her ear so he could look at her directly. "I don't care where we go. Just as long as we're together."

Her cheeks flushed a deep pink as she shyly met his gaze. "Oh, Nial, I'm flattered. Really. I care about you so much and you've treated me so well ever since I met you. I would love to accompany you to Landen and see all the places you told me about." Something shifted in her eyes as the corners of her mouth turned down slightly. "But I can't."

Nial was confused. "I don't understand. Why not?"

Her hand went up to the pendant that still hung from her neck. "My sister spoke of an ancient evil, that's why she left me behind. Lune may have called off his armies, but I don't think he was the only cause of the problems on the Alisa III." She idly spun the golden sphere around in her fingers as she tried to explain. "I don't know why or how, but I _know_ that something else is out there. Something or someone prevented her from coming back to me and I owe it to her to find out what really happened."

He wasn't entirely convinced yet. "I can help you, if you'd let me..."

Laya cocked her head to the side as she smiled sadly at him. "You have a duty to your people, Nial. I can't take you away from that, it would be selfish of me." She straightened up and confidently tossed her hair back over her shoulder, her decision already made. "I'm leaving for the ship shortly. I'm going back to Aridia, where I'll go back to sleep until the time is right. My sister intended for me to stay there for a reason, and I still don't know what that is yet. I _need_ to know."

Nial wanted to beg her to stay, to reconsider, to change her mind, but her selflessness had worn off on him. He'd meant it when he'd told her that he valued her happiness and he knew he couldn't prevent her from doing something that was so very important to her. "Would you like me to come with you? Just as far as Hazatak?" he quietly offered.

Her eyes started to glisten with unfallen tears as she tried to thank him for his unquestioning acceptance. "You should stay here on Dahlia for a few days," she suggested. "Relax a little bit before heading back to Landen. I'll be fine, don't worry about me."

He nodded. "I'm going to miss you," he admitted.

She reached up underneath her hair and undid the clasp of her necklace. Taking a step closer so she was standing right next to him, she pressed the pendant into his hand as she lightly brushed her lips against his. Her kiss was simple and pure and Nial knew it would be their last. "It doesn't matter if I wake up again next month or in another thousand years," she whispered. "I will never forget you and everything you've done for me."

The lovelorn prince wanted to wrap his arms around her and keep her with him forever, but instead, he squeezed the keepsake she had entrusted to him. Laya took a step backwards and they both knew it was time. There was still so much he wanted to say to her, but he knew he needed to let her go. "Thank you," he simply stated.

With one last look, she disappeared into the shadows, to slip away from the moon and away from him. As Nial studied the pendant she had given him, he knew that though she was gone, the memories of her would be with him always. Like she had lived to honor the remembrance of her sister, he would do the same for her and use everything she had taught him to one day rule his kingdom efficiently and fairly. Knowing that she wouldn't want him to stay brooding by himself for long, he carefully tucked the pendant into his pocket and set out in search of the others.


End file.
